She
by Nanners0474
Summary: Harry runs through the halls on a mission to save the girl he cares about from...Ron? Ok, so maybe "save" isn't an accurate word but come on! Ron Weasley and the one girl Harry wants? Not if he can help it!


Disclaimer: The characters are not mine but oh how I wish. Only the plot is from my imagination.

A/N: If you have not read "Hanging Puckles" you might want to after this. You don't need to but that story is kinda referred to at the end of this story and it might leave you saying, "Huh?" Anyway, please enjoy my latest fic. It's been nearly a year! Oh, and I know the title is lame but I couldn't think of a better one. shrugging

Summary: Harry runs through the halls on a mission to save the girl he cares about from...Ron? Ok, so maybe "save" isn't an accurate word but come on! Ron Weasley and the one girl Harry wants? Not if he can help it!

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"She"

Harry rushed from the great hall. He had finally made up his mind. He would do it. He would go straight up to Ron and just tell him how he felt. He prayed as he took the stairs two at a time that it wouldn't ruin their friendship.

Despite this Harry hurried on, determined. This whole thing had been eating at him for months and the more he stayed silent the more resentful of Ron he became. The last thing he needed was to feel anger toward one of the few people he trusted wholeheartedly. Ron was his best friend after all. If he couldn't talk openly to his best friend then whom could he talk to?

This whole this was too complicated. The potential for hurt feelings was too great. Harry didn't like the bind he was in but he liked the way he was presently feeling even less.

It wasn't Ron's fault, really. It wasn't Harry's, fault either. It was the fault of the girl in the middle…not that she knew she was at fault…not that she knew she was in the middle, for that matter. Heck, even Ron didn't have a clue. It was only Harry who was suffering. It was only Harry whose hormones were raging out of control making him see a goddess in a rather frumpy teenage girl. It was only Harry whose heart pounded whenever she sent him one of her vague absent-minded smiles. It was only Harry who found her unique traits special and not at all strange…Ok, not all of them anyway.

The problem was that now Ron seemed to be tuning into these things, these things that Harry felt secretly where only his to feel and take notice of. Why now did Ron notice what Harry had seen all along? Why now after all this time of ignoring, teasing, scoffing, and often belittling did Ron finally seem to notice the beauty of the girl Harry had fallen head over heals for? Why now? Sure they were all friends and she was always there but Ron hadn't paid much attention until now and it had Harry panicked.

As these cluttered thoughts rambled around in Harry's brain he rushed onward and upward. He took the straightest path. He knew where Ron would be and he knew whom he would be with. He would be with her. The whole group was always together but more and more lately it was just Ron and her alone. The very idea made Harry clench his fists as he hurried on.

He would just have to pull Ron aside and explain, Harry thought to himself. He would calmly and rationally tell Ron to back off 'cause she was his…. No, no, no…He would calmly and rationally tell Ron that he had feelings for this girl and as a friend he should _BACK THE HELL OFF AND GET OUT OF THE WAY!_

Before Harry knew it he was in front of the painting that would lead to the Room Of Requirement. He stopped dead in his path. His breathing was harsh and his heart was thumping. Harry knew darn well that it had nothing to do with his mad dash through the halls. He was scared. What if Ron hated him for what he was about to say? What if she hated him too? After all she had always had eyes for Ron.

Harry shook his head and walked away from the painting. As he gazed dully out a tall, arched window he dragged his hand through his hair. It stood out in crazy mussy angles, not that he noticed or cared. His mind was on her…as it always seemed to be of late.

From the moment he had met her he had seen how her eyes had softened when she looked upon Ron. He had seen how her cheeks had blushed when he walked by her. He had also seen the slight frown on her lips when Ron had ignored her and the ache in her gaze when she caught him snickering at her. Harry had seen all this and so much more as he had gotten to know her.

She was amazing, he thought on a sigh. She was golden and kind and wise beyond her years. She was smart and brave and bold enough to challenge even Malfoy. She was quirky and ditzy and amazingly outrageous without caring what others thought. And yet he knew she did care. He knew because he had begun to watch. He had begun to see the real her which she only allowed to escape through her subtleties. No one else saw such subtleties beneath her zaniness. No one but him…and maybe Ron.

And Ron was the one she wanted.

Harry rested his head against the cool stone of the wall beside the window. Who was he to stand in the way of what she wanted. Who was he to tell his friend not to care about her?

Harry shook his head again. What was he thinking? He wasn't going to go in there and declare himself like some love stricken doofus. No, he would do what he had been doing from the start. He would walk away and say nothing.

The just as he was pushing away from the wall heard a soft sob. She stepped out of the shadows and walked towards him. Without thinking or questioning he went to her, opening his arms and she to sank into him. His heart ached for her as she cried softly into his robes.

"What is it?" he asked, voice soft, hand stroking down the length of her hair.

She shook her head but then leaned back to look up at him. Her eyes were filled with tears and the ones already shed moistened her cheeks. "Harry," she whispered, her eyes crinkling as she wept.

"Tell me," he soothed a hand over her damp cheek. Thoughts whirled through his head and anger began to brew under his calm façade. If he's hurt her, Harry thought to himself, best friend or not he's a dead man.

"Oh, Harry," she swiped away her tears in frustration. "I should have known…. I was a fool," she shook her head looking down at the floor, angry with herself. "He said, 'I'm so glad you're my friend, blah, blah, blah." Her face screwed up again as she mocked Ron's tone. "I need to talk to you about...(sob) _HER_. I think I might be falling for…(sob, hiccup) _**HER**_!" she spat out with fury Harry had never seen in her before.

Luna let out a whale and buried her face into Harry's chest once more. Harry stood still and silent. Shocked. Yup, he was shocked. Ron and...Why hadn't he seen it before? Well, of course he had seen inklings in the past but...

Harry began to grin over her mousy, frizzy head as she hiccupped against him.

She clung fiercely to Harry as she let out a muffled whimper into his now damp robes, "What will I tell the Puckles?"

Harry gathered the weepy girl closer to him and rested a cheek on top of her head. He was very grateful she couldn't see the smile on his face. He was feeling ridiculously smug and victorious. He would have chuckled but he knew not to ruin a good thing when it fell into his arms…literally. However, he couldn't keep the smile from his face and could only hope that it didn't sound in his voice when he said to her,

"Don't worry, Luna. We'll tell them together."

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A/N: Thank you for reading my little one-shot. I hope you enjoyed it. 

Other stories by Nanners0474:

Hanging Puckles 

One Last Normal Day

Burn

All That Matters

Fairy Lights

Mrs Granger


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